Chicago Ceramic Coating

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What do ceramic coatings cost and how do you know if you should pay the price? 

Let’s get some clear answers...

Below we’ve given a simple breakdown of average ceramic coating prices based on vehicle size and average coating choice (5-year ceramic coating protection)

Compact/Sports Car: $900-$1100

Sedan: $1000-$1350

Small SUV/Truck: $1250-$1500

Standard SUV/Truck/Jeep: $1500-$1800

XL SUV/Truck/Jeep: $1750-$2000 

15 Passenger Vehicles: Custom

To better understand ceramic coating prices, it’s important to understand what is required to properly apply a ceramic coating.

Before installing a ceramic coating, and before doing ANYTHING for that matter, we have to ensure that the paint is clean and completely stripped bare! This requires a little more than simple car washing. During the paint stripping and

decontaminating phase, we walk through 5 major ceramic coating preparation stages.

'The pre-wash wash' where we remove as much surface dirt from the vehicle as

possible without touching the paint.

‘Traditional car washing’ which is exactly what you think! After surface dirt

removal, it’s time for us to wash the paint as you did when you were a kid!

Well… not exactly, we use better chemicals, better techniques, and special

processes, but you get the idea!

Next is the ‘iron decontamination phase.’ That phrase means nothing to you if you’re not from the detailing world. Most people aren’t aware of the tiny

contaminants that sit on your car’s paint that are not removed through the

washing process. These microscopic contaminants are single-handedly

responsible for long-term paint DAMAGE! We’ve got the chemicals to remove

them!

Nearing the end, we move into ‘clay barring’ the paint. After you wash your car…

run your hand across the paint. What do you feel? It's likely not a smooth surface,

but rather a surface that LOOKS CLEAN and yet is bumpy like sandpaper. The

clay bar phase of our ceramic coating preparation process allows us to remove

any final contaminants embedded in the paint, leaving a

smooth and glassy surface behind that you’ve likely never felt on your car.

Last, we move into the ‘final wipe down & solvent removal’ stage.

This phase is exactly what it sounds like. We use a specific type of chemical that

will remove any last-minute oils, residues, waxes, or any other chemical left on the paint's surface.

Now that the car paint has been thoroughly cleaned and stripped in preparation for the ceramic coating application, it’s time to level out the clear coat and remove some scratches! Because ceramic coatings are the most durable form of long-term paint protection in the detailing world, any slight imperfection in the paint will stay as soon as the coating is applied. Here in the Chicago, IL, area… we get rain, snow, ice, hail, road salt, pollen, bugs, and anything else you can think of that would damage car paint! For that reason, we must go through a paint correction stage before the ceramic coating application to remove paint imperfections and create a smooth surface with which the ceramic coating can bond. There are two significant types of paint correction: Paint Enhancement & Paint Correction.

Here’s the simple answer: Paint enhancement is a less extreme form of paint correction. When we perform paint enhancement, we are telling the customer what paint imperfections WILL be fixed, and what imperfections WILL NOT be fixed. Paint enhancement is the most common type of correction we do! Why is that? Well, most customers don’t care about the tiny imperfections that they really can’t see anyway, and they are really concerned most with getting that ceramic coating on!

 The simple answer is Yes & No. Ok… maybe it’s not so simple. We have many

customers who understand what paint correction is and realize that with it, the ceramic coating will have a longer life span, but they choose not to get any correction done because they want a lower price. While there are situations when paint correction is necessary, there are also situations where it can be optional, and we love talking with our customers about the difference.

Even the most surface level of paint enhancement will extend the life of the ceramic coating, create an amazingly beautiful surface, and maximize your dollars spent… so we like to say: “It’s your choice… but we are biased.” :)

 After all of that work… It's now time to install the ceramic coating. You know how a surgeon goes to school for 8-12 years before they ever cut into an actual person? Most of the work is in the PREP! That is a great way to understand ceramic coatings. While there is a lot of technical skill included in the ceramic coating application… most of the time and labor is done in the preparation! Ceramic coating installations take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of the vehicle, but the preparation takes ALL of

the other hours. Depending on the amount of paint correction done, a ceramic coating installation can take somewhere between a single day, and 2 to 3 days to finish.